India has no dearth of resources: Modi

October 11, 2017 02:13 PM

Punjab News ExpressNEW DELHI : India has no dearth of resources required for development but it is wanting in good governance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday.

"In the states where the government machinery is efficient and implements schemes in a time bound manner, the change is visible," Modi told a gathering here to commemorate the birth centenary celebrations of RSS-Jan Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh.

The Prime Minister observed that in the states where there was more poverty, work allocation under the MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) was less but it was more in the states with good governance and less poverty.

Modi said that just wishing for development is not enough. He added that initiatives have to be completed in a time bound manner.

He said the original objectives and intentions of the MNREGA should not be diluted and that the fruits of development must reach the intended beneficiaries.

"Efforts have to be comprehensive and 'outcome driven' not 'output driven'. If this is done, we can achieve by 2022 what has been a dream for the last 70 years," he said.

The Prime Minister said a democracy cannot be limited to voting once every five years and then leaving the destiny to whoever comes to power.

"Democracy is successful when there is 'jan bhagidari' (public participation) in implementing development schemes. And for this, continuous dialogue between the government and the people is necessary," he said.

He said it was imperative that correct guidelines should flow down from above and correct information should flow up from below.

"If this two-way channel is perfect, there will be right policies, schemes and budget allocation."